This is the rumored “Cheese-In Hamburg Steak” (599 yen, tax excluded) that has reigned supreme as Gusto’s most popular dish for quite some time now. With plenty of meat juice and cheese, it’s a real flavor bomb! While it is incredibly delicious as it is, there’s a special way to eat the Cheese-In Hamburg Steak to make it even more amazing: eat it like it’s a fondue!

First of all, you need to carefully remove the top with a spoon.

It’s important to carefully stir the cheese inside the Hamburg steak to mix it with the meat juice.

As a side, we ordered the “Grill Plate with Two Kinds of Sausages” (299 yen, tax excluded) and now dip the sausages in the cheese.

It’s as amazingly delicious as it looks! Obviously, the juicy sausages go excellently well with the hot cheese that itself has been mixed with flavorful meat juice. The fresh vegetables that come with the Hamburg steak are also perfect for this improvised fondue and your plate will be empty before you know it!

Lala from China is also excited about this gourmet experience: “The cheese is incredibly flavorful, so matter what you dip inside, it’s going to be delicious. I’ll try ordering French fries with it the next time!” Transforming a cheese-filled Hamburg steak into a fondue sure is a creative way to enhance the dish!

But that’s just one way to enjoy the “Cheese-In Hamburg Steak,” so let’s try another arrangement. Separate the top part of the patty again, as we did before, and mix the cheese with the meat juice.

Then add rice right into the cheese! Be careful to only add it in small portions though. Mix well and you get a cheese risotto!

“It tastes much richer than a regular risotto because of the meat juice of the Hamburg steak. It’s the first time I’ve eaten a risotto like that,” says Lala, almost shocked by how good it tastes.

“It feels really luxurious to eat a risotto alongside a Hamburg steak. It should be part of the official menu,” is the judgment of Mayuna Ikeda, our Japanese taste tester.

Last but not least, we hear from Simona from Italy, the home of the risotto.
“That is certainly among the best risottos that I have ever eaten! I’m definitely going to recommend this to all Italians coming to Japan!” That is high praise for the creatively arranged dish! The number of Italian tourists heading to Gusto might see a spike...

These two arrangements also work well with the “Cheese^In Hamburg Steak” with demiglace sauce. In any case, with these little tricks, you can make three dishes out of one in a single order, so try it by all means!

Of course, you’ll want a dessert after your cheese experience. We also have a trick up our sleeves to fancy that up!
We’re going to turn the “Melting French Toast” (499 yen, excluding tax) into a savarin cake! (*Planned to be discontinued from April 18, 2018)

Next to the “Melting French Toast,” order the “Reduced Sugar Vanilla Ice Cake with extra Shield Lactic Acid Bacteria (R) M-1 Plus” (299 yen, tax excluded) as a side.

You also need a glass of white wine (99 yen, tax excluded) to make this custom dessert perfect.

Not put the ice cake on top of the French toast and pour the white wine over it. The wine will soak the toast much like a savarin is soaked with liquor.

Our three taste-testers immediately reached for their spoons and tried the dessert with an excited “Itadakimasu!”
“Oh wow... that tastes really luxurious!”
“I wouldn’t be surprised to find something like this on the menu of a high-class restaurant.”
“The white wine balances out the sweetness really nice for a sophisticated flavor.”
Every one of them is completely smitten by the creative dessert arrangement!

As the ice melts, its flavor changes slightly and goes even better with the French toast. It’s a fun take on the classic savarin and a dish you certainly wouldn’t expect at a regular family restaurant!

Arranging the classic menu to create new and exciting gourmet experiences is a fun way to enjoy Japanese family restaurants! Try these little tricks for yourself and, if you like the results, share them among your friends by all means!

The restaurant we visited:
Gusto Mitaka
3-24-11 Nozaki, Mitaka-shi, Tōkyō-to 181-0014
0422-39-7300
https://www.skylark.co.jp/